Connoisseurs
of fish agree that there’s something comforting about savouring freshly-steamed
fish, sipping its hot broth and slurping the rich tasty flavours, right to the
bottom of the hotplate.

They are
discovering the pure pleasure of eating the signature dish of whole fish served
in bubbling hot broth at Fat Fish JB and are coming back for more at this
neighbourhood restaurant.

I’m glad
my family and I arrive before 6.30pm because the restaurant is almost full. In
a few minutes, a queue of people has gathered outside, waiting for a table to
be available!

Dining Concept

The
dining concept of serving Chinese fusion food in a trendy café, designed with
an industrial ambiance, is the brainchild of Executive Chef Teo Wang Jieh and
his partner, Xue Nie.

Culinary
trained in Melbourne, they share a hobby in travelling and enjoying good food.

The facade of Fat Fish JB at Taman Melodies, Johor Baru

While
seeking an opportunity to open their restaurant in JB, they applied their
experience in catering European menus for private events that were hosted at
interesting venues.

Recently
while travelling in Tientsin, China, where they tasted a fish dish that
inspired them to apply Western-style cooking into Chinese food and created
their signature dish.

While
their creation appears to be similar, it is served in a choice of flavours that
match the tastes of local palates.

“Nothing
tastes like fresh fish,” said Teo who explains that their fish is locally
sourced for a more consistent taste and premium fish is offered for a more
satisfying meal.

While
every order is individually cooked, no effort is spared to prepare the fish and
broth base in advance.

To Order

For
first-timers, start by picking your choice of fish, all supplied fresh daily
from Kukup. Incidentally, the restaurant is closed on Monday because there was
no fish supply on that day.

The whole fish is buried under a variety of seafood ina dish of steaming hot broth

Teo says
they use fish such as barramundi (RM76.30), red snapper (RM97.30) and grouper
(RM125.30) or seasonal specials like jade perch (RM125.30).

Then pick
your choice of broth from four flavours: Japanese Miso, Seafood and Mushrooms,
Sichuan Hot and Spicy, and Tomato. This is when you should inform the waiter of
your preference for less salt or more spice in your broth.

There are
side orders like egg noodles, handmade noodles, Japanese udon (RM4.90 each) fried buns or mantou (RM5.90), and steamed rice (RM2.90) to soak up the rich
broth from the signature steamed fish dish.

Crispy
fried fish skins (RM5.90) is also a popular choice. A glance at the other
tables proves that this side order is simply irresistible!

To Savour

While
the ordering process may seem a bit tedious, I’m pleasantly surprised that the
kitchen serves up our order rather quickly.

I like how matching sets of ceramic
plates and Chinese spoons with wooden chopsticks are used instead of plastic tableware.

The chef’s recommendation of a jade
perch – available the day I was there – is an excellent choice. Fish connoisseurs
know how to enjoy the delicious flavour of its tender flesh with a touch of
collagen.

When the dish is served, we sit back to
allow the waiter to place the steaming hotplate centrally on the table. Then
watch in awe as the whole fish bubbles in broth, topped by our side orders of
seafood and vegetables.

The enticing aroma from the seafood and
mushroom broth, simmering with freshly cooked seafood, is simply mouthwatering.

To ensure that the fish is equally
cooked on its topside, a soup ladle is provided for us to drizzle the boiling
broth over the fish. A spatula is inserted under the fish to move the fish so
that its underside will not be charred.

A serving of crispy fish skins

The waiter gently reminds us to let the
vegetables cook a little longer to soften them. I spot slices of Chinese
cabbage, soyabean sprouts, tofu cubes as well as Enoki and abalone mushrooms in the broth.

When I gently move the fish with the
spatula, I find that it’s resting on a bed of potato slices, probably for
protection from the flames below.

With our eyes fixed on the fish, we patiently
nibble on crispy fish skin for a few minutes. Meanwhile I can see prawns,
clams, baby octopus and sliced abalone in the bubbling broth.

The moments tick by and as if we cannot
wait any longer, we finally raise our chopsticks together to dig in. We are
doing justice to the fish and seafood and also accept the offer from waiter to
top-up the broth. I’m sure the waiters can tell that we are fans of fish because
when they clear the table, all that is left on the hotplate, is the fish’s
lateral bone!

FAT FISH JB RESTAURANT
[Halal-sourced ingredients]

97, Jalan
Beringin, Taman Melodies, 80250 Johor Baru, Johor

TEL 607 – 3309420

HOURS Open 6pm
to 12am. Closed Monday.

FOOD Chinese
fusion cuisine

PICK Jade
Perch fish in seafood and mushroom broth

PAY From RM3
to RM130 per dish

MOOD Contemporary
family restaurant

SERVICE Efficient
and unobtrusive

I SAY… Go give
it a try

A version of this was published in The New Straits Times, Life & Times on 2 August 2017